Pulling at my Heart Strings
by strawberrykiss08
Summary: Oshima Ari, a girl from the city with no background with shinobis, is staying with her aunt until some "problems" are solved concerning her father and his work, but what if perchance Ari gets herself stuck in some unlucky situations herself? SasorixOC
1. Innocence

Chapter 1: Innocence

"Ari-chan, let's play a game!" her cousin, Ryouichi, smirked. She tilted her head.

"A game? What type?" she asked, her eyebrows knitted together in a confused manner. Ryouichi sat up from his slouched position on the chair. He shrugged.

"One that'll help you get more _accustomed _to the village. After all, you just got here a couple of days ago," he said, flashing sly glances at his two sisters Yuga and Yugata. They giggled.

Oshima Ari was not originally from the Sand Village. She grew up in the city of Wisteria and had absolutely no knowledge or background with ninjas or their techniques.

"I don't know," She looked at her three cousins curiously.

"Come on! It'll be fun!" Yuga exclaimed, grabbing one of her arms. Yugata grabbed the other.

"Well….fine…I guess." Upon her agreement, Ryouichi smirk got larger.

"Okay, Ari-chan. Put on this blindfold," Ari stared at the tattered piece of cloth in his hand then stared at the boy dumbfounded.

"Blindfold? Why?" she argued.

"It'll help you become more accustomed to the village," Ryouichi stated calmly. Ari raised an eyebrow.

"How will I become more accustomed if I can't see it?"

"You will….you will," he chuckled and she didn't like the feel of what was going on but still reluctantly took the cloth from his hand.

oOoOo

After what seemed like hours of walking and having to trust Ryouichi's direction, he finally let go of her hand. "Now count to ten and take the blindfold off" then heard stifled chuckling.

"Uh…okay? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10," and she took the blindfold off. As her eyes adjusted to the new found light, all she could see was sand….sand….and more sand. Her eyes widened in the realization that they played a prank on her!

"Why those…!" she yelled and stomped her foot on the sand frustrated. Ari quickly began to panic. She had NO knowledge on the area and the village gates were nowhere in sight.

"What am I going to do?" she began helplessly walking around, not sure which way would take her toward the village. After fifteen minutes of walking to who knows where, she stopped. Frustrated and scared, she sat on a mound of sand and pulled her knees to her chest. Her vision blurred as her eyes became glazed with tears and she stared at the ground.

Hearing a noise , she looked up. She saw a black figure in front of her. Rubbing her eyes to get a better look, it was a person! She stood up and smiled as she dusted herself off. As the figure grew closer, however, he did not look as pleased to see her. He glared at her.

"I-- uh…." Ari stammered out.

"What do you want?" he hissed. Ari stepped back, this was definitely not her prince charming…at all.

"I'm--" Ari couldn't get the words out. There was a tight knot in her throat and the man's eyes narrowed.

"Are you going to be quiet?" he asked and her attention was soon focused on a flash of light coming from behind him. "I guess I'll have to finish you." Out from behind him came a metal tail, drenched in poison and she did the only thing she could, she screamed. Crouching onto the ground, she braced her head with her arms. Tears dripped from her eyes again, falling and making imprints on the sand.

Hearing her sobs, he stopped. 'Is this girl for real?' he though to himself but as he analyzed her closer he realized she had no weapons…no protection. He could kill her easily…but why couldn't he bring himself to do it. She was just to vulnerable.

Realizing how she was still alive and that she was unharmed, Ari looked up at the man. He was just staring at her. The only thing visible was his eyes, the rest of his face was concealed with a black cloth.

"Why?" she asked breathlessly, a couple of tears still escaping her eyes as she blinked.

"It would be worthless to kill something like you," he stated harshly but was taken back when her face brightened up.

"Oh thank you thank you thank you!" she smiled.

"You're happy….I called you weak?" he asked

The girl merely shrugged. "Right now, I believe that being weak is most likely better than being dead. I'm grateful." She smiled at him. She was genuinely smiling at him…even though he was going to kill her minutes before. He could only stare in awe. No one had ever given him a smile that seemed so….honest, true…._innocent. _Realizing his staring, he quickly turned his head away.

"This is worthless…"he lied and slowly began sliding away. He heard no movement from behind him and looked back to see her still standing there with an unexplainable expression. "Shouldn't you be getting home? It's dangerous around here, especially at night," he growled noticing the orange coloring of the sky.

"Ah…about that…" She rubbed the back of her head. "Well, I don't know how." She couldn't see a change in his expression (partially because the cloth hiding half of his face) but his response definitely was confused.

"What type of shinobi are you exactly?"

"I'm not a shinobi," she responded without missing a beat. His eyes lowered.

"Really now? Then why are you around these parts?"

"Because I….was tricked," she mumbled clearly embarrassed. She heard a quick chuckle, which probably could have been mistaken for a growl.

"Obviously. Mm…you interest me," He analyzed her up and down.

"Is that a good thing?" She questioned, putting a finger to her lips and tilting her head.

"You can put it that way…" he said and slid passed her. She just turned around and looked at him confused.

"Do you want to get home or not? You're lucky I'm not just leaving you here," he hissed.

"Thank you! Um….by the way, what's your name?" she asked shyly.

"It's not important," he replied but noticing a downfall on her expression, he added, "But if you must know, it's Sasori….Akasuna no Sasori."

"Ah Sasori-kun ne?" she smiled looking down at the orange glowing sand.

"Your name?"

"Oh yes, Oshima Ari"

"Hn…we need to go if we want to get back before dark…" Sasori explained, "The Sand Village correct?"

It was quiet as they walked alongside each other. Sasori kept taking glances at the girl next to him. She had to be no older than fifteen and was still so….innocent. There was no other word in the dictionary to describe her.

"Do you in the Sand Village also?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"No," he answered and she nodded her head slowly.

"So you're not a shinobi…then what are you?" he asked.

"Well, I'm not originally from the Sand Village. I was born and raised in the city of Wisteria. We don't study ninja techniques and fighting in school. We study math and science and thing like that." He noticed the difference in the way she dressed. She was wearing a pretty red dress which reached an inch above her knees and it had black polka dots. Her shoes had a slight heel and she had white stockings. 'She looks like a ladybug…' he thought to himself then mentally cursed himself for thinking such childish thoughts.

"What are you doing here then?" he noticed how her face expression turned unhappy.

"It's complicated," was how she answered. Sasori stopped as he saw the gates of Suna up ahead of them. Ari tilted her head.

"This is where I stop, you should be able to handle the rest on your own," Sasori admitted. Ari smiled. "And one more thing….we never met, got that?" At first, Ari looked confused but the smile returned.

"Arigatou ne…Sasori-kun," Ari then ran off toward the gates.

'Guess I know who I need to check up on every once in a while,' he smirked and began to make his way back to the Akatsuki base.


	2. Dangerous

Chapter 2: Dangerous

Ari ran through the door of her aunt's house and smiled. "Tadaima!" then frowned, noticing the dark aura that filled the house.

"Ari-chan, you're alive!" Ryouichi exclaimed, running to her and pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to but, but when I came back you were gone!" He said it so quickly that all his words were muffled together. Yuga and Yugata nodded agreeing with their brother.

"Maybe, Ryouichi, you need to be less of and idiot!" her aunt, Haruka, scolded the boy and pushed him aside. Ari got pulled into another hug.

"Demo…Ari-chan, just how did you find your way back? Those deserts could be like mazes without walls and dead-ends," Yuga asked followed by a numerous amount of nods by Yugata.

"…lots of wandering I guess…." Ari remembered how she couldn't mention her savior, a special request from him she was willing to keep.

"_And one more thing….we never met, got that?" _

She smiled at the thought and giggled. The twins, Ryouichi and Haruka all looked at each other, but Ari didn't notice. Instead, her mind was filled with thoughts of her hero. Of course, he wasn't young or that handsome at that…and most likely had a gruesome way of handling things, she was grateful that he didn't kill her and took the time to actually walk her back to the village.

"…ri-chan? Ari-chan daijoubu?" Ryouichi asked, immediately snapping her out of her daydream.

"Hai, hai, daijoubu." Ari answered back. "I'm going to get ready for bed. Oyasuminasai!"

……………………..

-A week later-

Ari awoke by a loud pounding on the door. Rushing, she hopped out of bed and ran to the stairs curiously to see what was wrong.

"Are you sure?" Ari heard Ryouichi ask as she made her way down the stairs. She went down slowly to avoid creaking.

"Positive, you need to hurry straight away!" she heard a deep voice say and heard the door slam shut. Ryouichi, who was in a rush, ran toward the stairs and accidentally knocked right into Ari.

"Ari-chan, you're up."

"Yeah, what's wrong? Who was that guy?"

"Looks like Lord Kankuro got hurt. I need to go to him straight away."

"Lord…Kankuro? Who's that?" Ari asked while putting a finger to her lips and tilting her head.

"Ari-chan, are you serious? He's Kazekage-sama's brother! Ugh! I don't have time!" He gave her a quick hug.

Suddenly, Haruka came running down the stairs dressed and ready to go.

"I heard, let's go Ryouichi."

"Aunt Haruka, you're going too?"

"Of course, I am the best doctor in Suna. I'm just worried. This is the Akatsuki we're talking about."

"The Akatsuki?" Ari asked.

"Ari-chan, we don't have time to explain." Ryouichi said and started walking quickly toward the door. "Take care of yourself ok? Stay here got it?" Ari nodded.

"Yuga and Yugata are still asleep," Haruka added, "You're not allowed to leave unless you're with them," and with that, they left.

Ari quickly dressed and walked back down the stairs.

"Maybe I can walk around for just a bit. Yuga and Yugata are still sleeping and if only for a bit…it won't be a problem right?" Quietly opening and closing the door, she looked at the sandy road in front of her.

Ari wanted to walk around Suna without restriction. She was there for almost two week and haven't seen anything except the outside desert. The only adventure she had was her meeting with Sasori. Other than that, she was locked up in the house.

Though coming to Suna wasn't her choice in the first place, she wanted to find something different her. Something more exciting maybe.

Deep in thought she stared at the ground, analyzing every little grain of sand, ignoring the strange glanced form everyone. White and fluffy frills were an easy way to get a attention as she realized. She didn't want attention but these were the clothes in her wardrobe and was not planning on changing her style soon. But as she listened, she heard that their whispering wasn't about her like it usually was.

'I hear the leaf nin are here'

'Yeah they just arrived! I hope that they are able to help and especially find Kazekage-sama.'

'I can't believe he's missing.'

'Just like the third.'

Ari got more and more confused as she listened. So many questions, the people who knew the answers not bothering to tell. The only thing she knew was the fight between the Kazekage and some man. The Kazekage went missing afterward. Could it be connected to Lord Kankuro?

"Ari-chan!" What are doing out here?" she heard a familiar voice say. She turned around to see Ryouichi with an unhappy look on his face and arms crossed.

"Oh hey Ryouichi. How's Lord Kankuro?"

"The leaf nin are taking care of him. I went home to check up on you and I find Yuga and Yugata panicking. Care to explain?"

"Not really…"

"You got to stop running off. You're giving everyone a heart attack."

"But I'm bored."

"Baka! There's no controlling you! Ari, this isn't Wisteria. It's dangerous around here!"

"Then why am I here?"

"Your father wanted you to be safe--" Ari cut him off.

"If he really wanted me to be safe, he wouldn't have sent me here."

"Ari-chan, you know this is the only place he could have possibly sent you." Ari glared.

"Why did I have to come here? Mom, Kinta and Shouta are all back in Wisteria, are they not? Why me?"

"Ari, there are complications you wouldn't understand…"

"Oh really?"

"Can't we talk about this later?"

"You started this…"

"Come with me. I need to get back and you're coming with me. I need to keep an eye on you." Ari slowly followed after Ryouichi and they soon reached a large building, one towering all the rest. "Let's go," he said and she followed him unsurely through the doors.

**A/N: Chapter 2 finally finished! Thank you for all the comments last chapter~~ I hope you enjoyed this one and make sure to comment!**

**Teaser alert!~~**

**Next chapter Ari learns a little more about our favorite puppeteer~**


	3. Realization

Chapter 3: Realization

Ari felt slightly nervous as she entered the building. Ryouichi began lecturing her about well…everything. What she shouldn't do, what she should….but she didn't listen that much to him. She had some self-control and common sense. Ari envied Ryouichi…his power to push what happened previously right to the back of his mind where it won't be seen and hopefully, never will again.

Her father, Oshima Shotaro, was stationed in the Sand Village at the moment, hence why she's there. He was a commander in the military and she had no clue why they had placed him here, of all places. Luckily, they had family here. Out of her whole family back in Wisteria, he chose to only take her, not one of her two brothers. Why her father did that is still a mystery.

A loud slam knocked Ari out of her daze.

"Just be quiet, got it?" Ryouichi murmured as he walked through a door. Ari quickly followed.

"Looks like the Leaf nin are here," Ryouichi said to himself. Ari listened carefully and peered at her surroundings. The atmosphere was tense as she stared at the boy on the table an operating table type thing.

"Is he okay?" Ari asked. A bubble-gum pink haired girl was quietly operating on him. Haruka was next to her.

"That's Lord Kankuro," Ryouichi explained, "He was poisoned yesterday."

"How? Food poisoning?"

"Oh we wish but no….by Akasuna no Sasori, not that you know who that is."

"Aka….Ah Sasori-kun?!" Ari yelled out in surprise but quickly covered her mouth in realization of what she just blurted out. Ryouichi stared at her, no one else seemed to notice her sudden outburst except for one.

"Using his name so informally…" a scratchy old voice said. Ari looked up to see an old woman, "Why might that be?"

"Oh….me? Ugh…well, you see…I just thought of an old friend from where I come from…that's all," Ari said flustered. The old woman's eyes lowered at her.

"Is that so?" Ari nodded quickly, holding her breath. "Ryouichi-san, who is this," the old woman continued.

"This is my cousin, Oshima Ari. She's new around here. Please don't mind her," Ryouichi said while sending glares at the girl. Ari's gaze stayed at her feet. "Go sit Ari," he said harshly.

Ari made her way toward a chair in the back corner of the room, watching Kankuro struggle in the men's grip.

"Do you really not know him because for some reason I feel that you're not telling the whole truth." Ari held her breath again and shook her head. The old woman was burning holes into her but she made a promise.

"And? I'm hiding a lot of things and I don't have to tell you because you're a stranger. Do you expect me to tell you deep, personal secrets or information even though I have still yet to get your name?" Ari rudely stated. Ryouichi was now the one who was burning holes into her.

"Oh, I see how it is…My name is Chiyo. You may call me Granny Chiyo if you would like," the old woman put on an odd smile, "So you're Ryouichi's cousin?"

"Yep, therefore I'm a prisoner without chains…well not yet anyway."

"He's a tough boy."

"Overprotective too."

"I see…"

"Ne…who's Akasuna no Sasori?" Ari asked, hoping to get a bit more information about her savoir.

"Oh really? You're asking? I thought you knew," the old woman slyly said.

"You're still on that?!"

"Well, if you're sure you haven't met him…" Chiyo looked over at the tensing girl. Ari gulped and clenched her skirt with her fists.

"….I've might have ran into him but…you guys make him out to be so mean," Ari glanced at the old woman next to her.

"You 'might have ran into him?'"

"Un…Ryouichi played a prank on me and I ended up lost in the desert. That's when I met him." Ari explained.

"Really? And he didn't kill you?" Chiyo asked. Ari shook her head.

"He was about to but he stopped then walked me back to the village….That was the only time we've ever met."

"That was it? That's odd…" Chiyo seemed to think deeply to herself.

"I personally don't think Sa-….Akasuna no Sasori-san is that bad…he's doesn't seem that mean if you ask me…" Ari murmured quietly, hoping Chiyo wouldn't hear.

"Would you like to go on a walk with me?" Chiyo asked.

"Sure but what about…" Ari glanced at her cousin.

"I'll take care of Ryouichi later….come on" Chiyo grabbed her hand, pulling her out the door and building. "I need to speak to you about Sasori."

"Okay but why can't we do this inside?"

"Because if they happen to hear you talk about Sasori, they'd jump on you."

"Aa~ so but I don't know why Sasori-kun poisoned Lord Kankuro. I don't know much about him anyway…." Ari was fiddling her thumbs.

"Sasori was and still is my grandson," Chiyo said bluntly.

"Usotsuki! B-but…"

"Sasori isn't the type to spare someone…why you?"

"You don't think I'm lying, do you? He personally told me that I couldn't tell I met him but I did because you wouldn't live it down if I didn't…."

"I never said I thought you were lying but I do think it's odd."

"Well, how do you expect me to know why he didn't kill me…" Ari didn't make eye contact with Chiyo as she felt them fill up. "He was…inches to killing me…but…he stopped…"Ari flashed backed to the scary moment that happened in only seconds.

Noticing the glances and stares they were getting, Chiyo grabbed the sniffling girl and dragged her out of the public. Once they were in private, Chiyo sighed.

"You really know how to make a scene, don't you?" Ari stared back at the ground.

"I don't know anything about him so why did you tell me he was your grandson?"

"Don't you want to know?"

"Well, yeah, I do wish to know more about him but why? How did you know?

"Using his name in such an informal tone I knew you didn't know who he is or might I say, what he is to this village."

"But is that the reason why you're telling me this?"

"You're interesting."

"That's exactly what he told me too."

"Did he now? Obviously if you're something 'interesting' to him you might want to have some knowledge on him."

"I'm not really following…."

"Sasori is part of the Akatsuki."

'_Akatsuki? Now where did I hear that before?'_

'Oh yeah from Aunt Haruka'

"_Of course, I am the best doctor in Suna. I'm just worried. This is the Akatsuki we're talking about."_

"Akatsuki?" Ari gulped as Chiyo's eyes narrowed.

**A/N: YAY Chapter 3!! I felt as if this chapter is kinda bad especially the beginning but oh well. Oh and before I forget thank you to everyone who commented! It made me very happy ****J and I promise the story will start to pick up soon. It's been kind of boring. Sasori should be coming back soon too so please be patient! *laughs***

**As for the next chapter, Ari learns more about the Akatsuki and you'll learn a bit more of Ari's past.**


	4. The Past

Chapter 4: The Past

"It's obvious you don't know who the Akatsuki are. If you did, you're first option would have been to run when you ran into Sasori," Chiyo explained. Ari slowly nodded.

"So how can you tell?" Ari asked.

"Well, they wear a black cloak with red clouds on them, that's the most noticeable way," Chiyo said.

"Oh…I see….I think Sasori-kun was wearing that…I don't really remember…"Ari explained, scratching the back of her head. "Mm….yeah…"

"What's wrong?" Chiyo asked, eyeing the girl.

"Well, what could you….well…um tell me about Sasori?" Ari shyly asked while tapping her two pointer fingers together.

"That curious?"

"Well…he is my Prince Charming…." her voice trailed off at the end.

"You do know that Sasori left the village twenty years ago, right?"

"Well, he did look…kinda older but I couldn't really see his face, it was covered but still! He's…" Ari didn't finish her sentence, her face turning red in the process. Chiyo chuckled but then turned serious.

"Ari…why are you here?" Ari stared at her, confused how that might have popped up,

"I don't know actually but why are you asking?"

"Because it doesn't seem like you're here on just a friendly visit."

"Granny Chiyo," Ari asked, refusing to make eye contact with Chiyo, "Can I tell you my story so far?"

"Of course…I'm listening."

"About a month ago I believe, Daddy came home really, really stressed. Daddy is a commander in the military so you would think he would always come home like that…"

"Wait if your father's in the military, how would he come home everyday?" Chiyo asked.

"He was working in Wisteria that's why…I think. The base is there that's why I live there. Sorry, I don't know much about his work. He never talks about it. But continuing what I said, you would think he would always it would be normal right? But not with my dad. He's what you call a doting father, a little crazy and funny and everyone who meets him loves him…carefree…

"But that night, he came home and forced my two brothers and I out of the kitchen so he could talk to my mother privately. Of course, we eavesdropped but we couldn't hear anything he was saying. When we came back into the kitchen, he announced that he was going to be stationed in Suna and I, only I, was going with him…but I guess I would be the only choice…"

"Only choice? What about your two brothers," Chiyo asked curiously.

"I have an older brother named Kintaro whom we call Kinta and a younger one, Shouta. Between my daddy and Kinta, there's a bit of tension right now…They're in an argument. My daddy wants Kinta to join the military, you know follow in his footsteps. Kinta, however has his heart set on becoming a chef and Shouta's only eight so my mommy wouldn't really let him go by myself."

"So technically you're saying that one brother is too young and the other, your father is arguing with so that left you." Chiyo asked, making sure her information was correct.

"Kind of but even though Kinta and Daddy are fighting, Kinta still probably his favorite child out of us three so knowing my daddy I would have thought he would still take him…" Ari began to trail off again.

"And why would you think that?"

"Because Daddy always --" Ari got interrupted.

"Ari! Finally, I found you, why the heck did…oh Granny Chiyo! I didn't know she was with you," Ryouichi quickly apologized and grabbed Ari's hand. "It's just this girl is always running off…as I noticed."

"Sorry, Ryouichi," Ari apologized.

"I'll be taking her back home now," Ryouichi said while bowing at Chiyo and began dragging Ari along.

"Wait, hold on," Ari said then ran back to Chiyo, escaping Ryouichi's grip.

"Granny Chiyo," she whispered, "Can you tell me more about Sasori-kun when we see each other again?" Chiyo put on a small yet sad smile but couldn't help but nod at the girl's sparkling eyes. Ari smiled and ran back to Ryouichi.

'If the girl only knew…' Chiyo sighed. 'If she only knew…'

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Thank goodness you were with Granny Chiyo or you would have gotten it!" Ryouichi lectured as they walked through the door of Haruka's house. "What do I have to do? Tie you up?"

"Ryouichi, calm down okay?" Haruka tried to calm her son down by patting him on the back. Yuga and Yugata giggled at their brother. Ne~e, Ari….eh Ari?" Haruka looked around for her, "Now where'd she go?"

"Up to her room I think," Yuga said and Yugata nodded to agree with her sister, "Hurry Ryouichi! She might try to jump out the window!" The twins burst out into laughter and Haruka softly chuckled.

"Oh stop!" Ryouichi defended himself, "I'm going to take a bath…"

Filling the spa-like bath with water, Ryouichi soaked in it until his chin touched the water,

"Ari…" he said to himself then remembered his last conversation with her father.

"_Uncle Shotaro?" Ryouichi asked after helping Ari get her things into the house. "Why is Ari-chan here?"_

_The older man chuckled. His face was kind and gentle, but his eyes told his story, everything he witnessed. "Ryouichi, you'll know soon enough…" he ruffled up Ryouichi's hair and then spread his arms out for his little girl to jump in._

"_Daddy, when will I see you again?" the girl asked hopefully._

"_In two weeks, I'll come and visit okay?" her smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the head. Walking away he whispered for only Ryouichi to hear,_

"_Take good care of her, Ryouichi."_

Blowing bubbles in the water, a sudden thought came to Ryouichi. "Hey…isn't Uncle Shotaro supposed to be back to check up on her soon?"

**A/N: Wow, I updated this chapter pretty quickly~! The point of this chapter was to help understand the characters better and how their minds work, well, mostly Ari's. I don't think I achieved it that well *sweat drop* so I'll explain what I was trying to achieve.**

**Ari seems really childish and I tried to show that by her saying things like "Daddy" and mentioning Prince Charming, which most little girls would probably do but she has a very complex mind and I tried to show how she analyzed things when she talked to Chiyo. I hope that makes sense hehehe….**

**Next Chapter, we might meet Ari's father and hopefully, we see Sasori again ****J**


	5. Eyes

Chapter 5: Eyes

"Sasori no Danna? What are you thinking about!" an impulsive blonde slammed Sasori's door open. "It's _**killing**_ me!"

Sasori stared at the now broken arm of his new creation….annoyed.

"Ah, Sasori no Danna, gomen ne! I…didn't mean too!" his partner pleaded. Sasori didn't even glance at him as if he wasn't even there.

"Tsk…" Sasori muttered, "I don't want…_this_…It's not good enough…"

"Danna? You could always fix it."

"I don't want this!" Sasori yelled and angrily flung the puppet off his working table. It shattered.

"Danna, what's wrong? Why did you do that?" The blonde asked while picking up the milky white pieces. "Porcelain? Danna, since when have you used porcelain?"

"Deidara…" Sasori finally acknowledged his partner, "I'm going out."

"Eh~! Without picking this up?"

"I want her…in my collection," Sasori muttered quietly to himself and swiftly moved out of the door.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Daddy!"

"Uncle Shotaro!"

Four voices squeaked. Ari and the three siblings ran to the completely exhausted man in the door. He patted Ari on the head as he went to the kitchen to greet his sister-in-law.

"Haruka, long time no see," Shotaro smiled at her, "They seem to be in good spirits." He chuckled as the four children fought over who was going to put away his things.

"I see you brought your suitcase, are you staying?" Haruka asked as she brought a cup of tea to him.

"Only for a couple of days really. I was only actually going to visit but I'd figure I'd might as well stay than spend my days off at the stuffy base. I would get dragged into doing more work!"

"You look completely exhausted! I guess they're working you too hard?"

"I've been there two weeks and probably only got ten hours of sleep max…so you better not bug me to wake up tomorrow morning!" Haruka laughed.

"Of course, of course!"

Ari ran into her father's arms.

"Daddy! You're gonna be staying?" Shotaro nodded and Ari plopped herself on his lap.

"Ugh Ari! You're fifteen, not five!" Shotaro groaned. Ari giggled.

"But I wanna be five again!"

"Oh well so do I, I think I want to be five again more than you! So does that mean I can sit on your lap whenever I wanted?" Shotaro sheepishly asked.

"Of course not!"

Shotaro laughed. "Okay, okay….Ari go help your cousins. I want to talk to your aunt."

"Okay!" Ari jumped of his lap and ran toward the stairs. Shotaro rubbed his aching legs and looked at Haruka.

"She hasn't changed a bit, has she?" Shotaro smiled.

"All I can say is she's definitely your child," Haruka giggled a bit while sitting down at the table across from him, "You haven't changed a bit from when we first met. Ah, I remember the day when you first came over to our house to meet our family. I couldn't stop laughing! To think Noa has to deal wit you every single sol--" Shotaro turned a deep shade of red.

"Okay, okay I get it!"

"So…you probably want to talk about Ari, am I right?" Haruka asked and took a quick sip of her tea, glancing at Shotaro as she did so.

"Yeah but…" Shotaro head turned toward the open doorway to see Ryouichi leaning against it, arms folded and staring intently.

"Ryouichi, do you need something?" Haruka asked and Ryouichi strolled toward the table, taking a seat.

"I wanna know," he said, "Why you brought her here."

"Oh that?" Shotaro chuckled, "You sound so serious, it's really not of importance." Ryouichi stared at his uncle confused.

"What do you mean?"

"You really want to know?"

"Yes I do! You made it sound so important when we last talked!"

"Oh, I did? You make it sound as if the world depended on her….trust me, if it did the world would be self-destructing right now…" he chuckled,

"The real reason I brought her here was I thought she would become more independent, thought you would have figured that out…"

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"I guess you took my last word to you too seriously…" Shotaro pinched the bridge of his nose while leaning his elbow on the table. Ryouichi stared at his uncle baffled at his words.

"I thought if she was put in a place totally out of her comfort zone, she would learn to not be so dependant."

"But wouldn't that cause her to be more dependant?" Ryouichi asked.

"Mm…not with Ari. She usually only depends on Aunt Noa, Kintaro and I too much. She normally doesn't depend on any one else but she's too trustful."

"Eh?"

"That is true. Observing her for the two weeks she's been here…she seems to think the world is a safe place. Running around all over the place without a care in the world," Haruka explained.

"Yes…as long as a person is sweet to her she believes they can be trusted. I want her to know how dangerous that can be so Ryouichi watch her over to make sure she's safe." Ryouichi looked down at his hands.

"Well, this isn't good," Haruka sighed. Shotaro looked at her and tilted his head.

"Why not?"

"Because all I've done was baby her the whole time she was here," Ryouichi said without making eye contact.

"Eh? Ryouichi, I didn't except you to do that…I thought you would have noticed."

"I guess I'm like you in that way, Uncle Shotaro," Ryouichi gave a fake chuckle while scratching the back of his head, "That we can't seem to have the guts to teach Ari a lesson."

"That is very true…but we need to try not to okay? We just need to watch her over. Promise me and I'll promise you," Shotaro winked. Ryouichi nodded.

"Of course Uncle Shotaro."

Haruka smiled and got up out of her seat. "Ryouichi…" she said while opening the kitchen cabinet, "Did you go food shopping like I told you?" Ryouichi's eyes widened.

"Uh…oops?"

"What are we going to eat?" Haruka sighed. "I don't have time to go to the store now, I need to get ready for work. Plus, its late."

"Aunt Haruka, I could go," They heard Ari as they saw her jumping down the stairs. "It's really not that far and I should be home before the sun fully sets."

"Ari, could you please?" Haruka asked hopefully.

"Of course!" Ari said and grabbed her bag, "I'll be back in a jiffy!"

OoOoOoOoOoO

Ari slowly walked down the now familiar streets, struggling to hold the heavy bags in her hand. The dimming light from the sky made the pout on her face less noticeable as she thought.

"I am not too trusting," she muttered to herself.

"Really?" She heard a chuckle and she turned her head toward the sound. Black and red covered her vision.

"Akatsuki…?" She whispered as she stared at the red head.

"I'm lucky I managed to see you again, I thought I might not ever speak to you again…without being seen anyway…_Ari-chan_," he smirked, "Don't you remember me?"

"Eh w-who are you?"

Sasori took a step closer, she stepped back.

Then another step forward,

Another step back,

Another forward,

Another back,

Until Ari eventually ran.

As she turned the corner, she wanted to catch her breath yet she knew she couldn't but she was losing her breath fast.

"Thought you could get away?" She felt and arm sling around her waist from behind her. She turned around in shock only to be face to face with him. He stared at her and smirk. His grip was tight and she felt as if she couldn't defend herself, as if she was being controlled. He tilted his head a bit, smirk still visible. Ari looked up at him and stared at his face a bit. Her eyes widened.

'Those…Those eyes!'

**A/N: I apologize for updating really late! I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner but I won't really count on it…*scratches back of head* Finals are coming up so that's really what I've been focusing on so once they are over I'll update faster (hopefully). So in this chapter, you meet Ari's dad. To be honest I didn't really want to make him a serious character (though he's in the military) so I didn't. He leaves his serious personality at work I guess *giggles* So the reason Ari is there isn't that important. I hope some people aren't disappointed but Ari and Sasori finally meet again! I want Sasori to stay natural so he might be kind of mean in future chapters. I hope you enjoyed it! And make sure to review!**


	6. Princess

Chapter 6: Princess

She didn't struggle…she didn't do anything actually. She just stared at the honey eyes that were so familiar. Feeling content with the grocery bag dividing them mere inches, she gathered up the courage to speak.

"W-why do you look so different…?" she asked.

"So you finally recognized me?" his tone was a little harsher than expected. Sasori was disappointed. She didn't scream or struggle and it bothered him. He hated that she seemed to _trust _him. It wasn't supposed to be that way…he was meant to be feared but he managed a smile.

"Come with me…._princess_," He said as sweetly as he could. Ari's eyes widened as she stared up at him, she seemed to shine. He put on his small smirk in place of the smile, she was falling right into his trap. Getting his desire might be easier than he thought…she was an absolute perfect and delicate piece for his collection.

"Sasori-kun…" she pulled the grocery bag closer to her chest, her heart pounding. Could it be? Her prince charming? The fact that he was an Akatsuki member faded far to the back of her mind. "I would lo-"

"Oi!" a voice cut Ari off and she pouted a bit. Whoever it was, he ruined her perfect moment.

Sasori's eyes narrowed and slightly turned around as he pulled Ari closer to him. He made sure she wasn't visible to them. He had been so close and there was no way he was letting her get away from him now.

"Eh? Who is it?" Ari struggled a bit trying to look over Sasori's shoulder but her height failed her.

"I knew it…Akatsuki," Ari heard the voice say but Sasori's torso was blocking her view. Sasori began to chuckle.

"Well, well look who's still alive. I was sure you would probably be dead by now," Sasori said, almost a bit too amused. Ari tilted her head a bit. 'Dead? Could this person be…?'

"Lord Kankuro, I'm here!" Ari's eyes widened when she realized she knew _that _voice.

"Ryouichi…" Ari whispered and Sasori's head whipped around to look at her, his grip loosened. Ari's head peaked from behind Sasori, much to Ryouichi's surprise and dismay.

"Ari!" Ryouichi glowered at him. "You let her go…" Sasori smirked and wanted to laugh a bit a Ryouichi but he knew he wasn't going to get anywhere with the two around.

"Akasuna no Sasori, what business could you possibly have here? Haven't you done enough?" Kankuro asked angrily, he inched closer toward Sasori weakly. He hadn't fully recovered from the poison.

"Milady, looks like I won't be occupying you back to the castle tonight," Sasori did a small bow and then disappeared in the blink of an eye. Ryouichi ran straight up to Ari, not even worrying about Sasori.

"Ari, thank goodness. Did he hurt you?" Ryouichi analyzed her whole body. His facial expression turned angry. "What were you thinking! Akatsuki, really? I thought you had a bit more common sense!" Ari just looked down at the grocery bag.

"Ryouichi, give the girl a break. She probably doesn't even know about them, but still that situation wa very dangerous. You're lucky we got here," Kankuro limply walked over to the two. He smiled at Ari.

"Wow, Ryouichi never told me you were so cute," Kankuro laughed a bit while scratching the back of his head, "I'm Kankuro and I believe you're Ari, correct?" Ari nodded shyly.

"Ari, this does not mean you're off the hook! You are going to be seriously punished for your actions!" Ryouichi commanded.

"She can work for me," Kankuro interrupted. Ryouichi and Ari turned to him.

"What?" Ryouichi asked.

"I'm still a little weak, seeing as I haven't fully recovered. Since Gaara's disappearance there's been a lot of work that I can't finish by myself. Ari could probably help me with it, it'll be a great relief," Kankuro said. "Plus, it'll probably keep her out of trouble," he laughed a bit before saying, "I hear you're quite the trouble-maker." Ari blushed a bit at the statement.

"Lord Kankuro, that would be fantastic if you would teach this girl some discipline," Ryouichi said thankfully before grabbing Ari by the ear, "We're going home, you're so lucky Kankuro was here." He began dragging her off. Kankuro stayed behind.

"Ari, I hope we work well together."

**A/N**: **Finally! Gosh, I haven't updated since May, that's a long time! I apologize so much. I know this chapter is a bit short but I just wanted to update. Hopefully next chapter will be longer. Well, lookie here! There seems to be a love triangle coming! This chapter really should have been more dramatic but for some reason I couldn't get what I envisioned on the paper. I really hoped this was worth the wait though!**


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